Summary
Motorola is developing technology to let its cellular phones use WiFi connections and voice over IP (VoIP) protocols to bypass conventional cell networks and use the Internet for connecting phone calls. The phones would let customers connect to one another at no charge in most cases. Free wireless hotspots are becoming more common as businesses provide the service to attract customers.
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http://news.com.com/Motorola+to+use+Wi-Fi,+VoIP+to+move+cell+calls+to+Net/2100-7351_3-5575684.html
Details
Motorola said Monday that it is developing cell phones capable of making calls using Wi-Fi networks, a big step for Internet phone forces now eyeing the wireless industry.
The world's No. 3 handset maker plans to add Internet phone software from Internet telephony provider Skype to a select number of Motorola phones that link to the Internet using short-range, high-speed Wi-Fi networks.
With the phones, it'll be possible for Skype customers to call each other--at no additional cost, in most instances.
VoIP calls, connecting via a Wi-Fi network to a home broadband connection, can be made for free or at prices sometimes half of that for a cell phone call.
As one wireless whiz put it Monday, "cannibalism happens" in the telephone industry.
Also, wireless operators see VoIP as an opportunity to take business away from the local wire line phone competition.
Hue and cry over Wi-Fi Interest in combination cell and VoIP phones is growing from handset makers and operators, according to executives attending the 3GSM World Congress show in Cannes, France.
"We're getting a lot of requests to supply handset makers with the relevant software.
Nokia is very, very big on this," said David Rivas, chief technology officer of Sun Microsystems' mobility unit.
A version of Sun's download software is now on more than half the world's cell phones.
A Nokia representative had no immediate comment.
But there are several obstacles to cramming VoIP onto cell phones that handset and
network equipment makers have yet to overcome.
For example, most U.S. operators haven't found a way to adequately switch between the two wireless networks, keep track of the calls for billing purposes or keep a phone from draining its battery too quickly.
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Monday, February 21, 2005
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